Opinion Contributor

Comprehensive immigration reform: The time is now

It was March of 2006. On that afternoon over one million undocumented immigrants marched on Los Angeles City Hall. For one day, one million people stepped out of the shadows – mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, grandmas and grandpas. They were hardworking people who are always told that they are to blame for the country’s problems.

They marched on City Hall to deliver a simple message – “This is our home now.” I walked out and welcomed the one million people who showed up on my doorstep. I looked out on the crowd – a mayor for less than one year – and told them “I don’t see any illegals! No human being is illegal. No human being should be illegal.” They may have come here illegally, but they also came for a better life and most have contributed much to this nation.

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I took a lot of heat for that. But an immigration policy that allows us to grow together and not apart is the moral and economic imperative of our time.

For too long Washington has pushed immigration reform off until the next election. Too often, the issue is punted to the next Congress. Now is the time for us to say enough is enough. When we reform our broken immigration system, we will not only restore the most basic of American covenants, we will give this economy a much needed shot in the arm.

When the head of a household becomes a citizen, family income rises almost 14 percent on average. For the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. that would generate over $1.5 trillion in the next decade. And for the federal government that would mean $4.5 billion in new tax revenue over the next three years alone.

But the long-term effects are even greater. Today, 40 percent of Fortune 500 companies were started by immigrants or by the children of immigrants. These companies have combined revenues of $4.2 trillion. For those keeping score that’s more than the GDP of every country in the world except the U.S., China and Japan.

The success of our immigration system goes hand in hand with the success of our broader economy. That’s why the time to act is now. Our action should be based on our core principles and values, through six broad policy pillars: